Railway guard for station platforms



Mar. 13, 19 23.

w. H. BANKS RAILWAY GUARD STATION PLATFORMS Filed Nov. 15,1922

INVENLEI 1 Patented Mar. l3, 1923.

UNITED STAT T all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. BANKs,

a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Winthrop, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway Guards for Station Platforms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a new anduseful improvement inrailway guards for station platforms. The invention is especially intended for use in connection with railway platforms in subways and elevated railroads, although it is adapted for use on railway platforms where the tracks are on the surface, whether electric or steam railroads.

In connection with electric railways and subways and in connection with elevated railroads, the tracks are usually laid in a pit between the platforms for the loading and unloading of the passengers. forms are usually unguarded along the edge of the road bed, and when the platform is crowded with passengers waiting for the cars, there is vgreat danger of those who are standing near the edge of the platform being crowded by those who are behind them and pushed off the platform down onto the track below in front of an approaching car. It is also well known that persons standing near the edge of the platform are sometimes seized with dizziness and fall onto the track, and it is also known that people sometimes attempt to commit suicide by throwing themselves ontothe track in front of the approaching car. The object of the present invention is to provide a guard which will to a considerable 40 degree hold back the waiting passengers and which will prevent their crowding in amass and yet which will readily allow of the passing of the passengers in single file through a plurality of passageways, and which requires no mechanical manipulation.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a railway platform equipped with a vention, and showing a trolley canon the track waiting to be loaded.-

These platat busy hours of the day with each d in a line which is diagonalto the edge of the Figure 2, and

in a row guard embodying the in WILLIAM H. BANKS, or wmrnnor, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY GUARD roe STATION PLATFORMS. Application filed. November 15, 1922. Serial No. 601,171.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown 1 in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan View showing a modified form of guard.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents a station platform having an upper surface 2 on which the passengers stand, and having a pit 3 for the road bed in which lie the car rails fir-fill, a car being represented at 5. The guard embodying the invention is located on the platform parallel with they edge of the platform and set a short distance away from the edge so as to allow a space I 6 between the guard andthe edge of the platform of sufficient width for the passengers to easily pass along the in front of the guard to enter the car platform after passing through the guard. The,

guard consists of a plurality of walls or fences 7, which'for convenience will be referred to as fence units, upon the platform. Said other, but each units are parallel individual unit is platform, as clearly shown in the several units are arranged which is parallel withthe edge of the platform. -These unitsare spaced apart from fixedly mounted 10 of one end of each unit will lap past the 1 opposite end 11 of the adjacent fence when viewed in a line drawn at right angles to the general line of direction of the entire guard and of the edge of the platform. Thus to a person approaching the guard in entering first appearance the station to take a car, at

were a closed it will look as though there fence preventing passage. It will be obvious, however,.by looking diagonally that a person can pass one at a time through this diagonal passageway, which is always open.

There will be a large number of these pas sageways as there will be a large number of these units extending along in a row, as shown in Figure 2, so as to accommodate a large number of people at one time, but the passengers will be obliged to pass in single file through these several passageways an in a diagonal direction to the line of the track. This will tend to prevent the mass crowding which occurs when there is no obandwhile there is apossibility of those in single 'file behind crowding the one in front, there is'far less danger than in the mass crowding. Preferably there is provided a hand grip 14 on the side of the guard. I II I The guard need not be high enough to pre vent passengers I from seeing over the top sufficiently to see the car and the signs on the car, but should preferably be at least waist high or perhaps sh'(' ulder high, enough so that there is no danger ofthe passenger being push d over the top of it,

s tructio-n at all.

yet nothigh eiiough to obstruct his View. I I I I I I I Prefei ably unit 7 of the guard is made tight like a tight board fence, in order to be suflic'iently strong to withstand being? broken In' the modification shown in Figure 41, eacl unit is composed of a plurality of rods 12, In such case the rods should have a tierod 13 to tie them together. The lower ends olieach u'nit, whether made of boards or rodsg should be securely and rigidly fastened td the floorbof the platform. When theplatform is made of cement, as is usually thecase,- the lower ends may be embedded in the cement, plainly shown in the gs} What Lela-unis I I I I raili vayguard for station platforms, coiiiprisinga pluralityof guard units each. disposed in aline which is diagonal to the edge of the railway platform adjacent thereto, the several'guardunitsbeing parallel with each other and spaced apart 'sufliciently disposed in a to form narrow passagesbetween the adjacent units, the series of units as a whole being in a row parallel with the edge of the railway platform. I

A railway guard for station platforms, comprising a pluralit of guard units each disposed in a line which is diagonal to the edge of the railway platform adjacent thereto, the several guard units being parallel with each other and spaced apart si fi'i'ciently to form narrow passages between the adjacent units the end of each unit at the en tance end lapping past the end of the adja cent unit at the exit end Viewed in a line at right angles to the front line of the series of units, the series of units as a whole being in a row parallel with the edge of the railway platform. I I

3. A railway guard forstation platforms, comprising a plurality of guard units each edge of the railway platform adjacent there to, the several gi'i'ard units being parallel with each other and spaced apart sufficiently to form narrow passages between the adjacent units the end of each unit at the entrance end lapping past the end of the adjacent unit at the ez zit end viewed in a line at line which is diagonal to the rlght angles to the front line of the series of units, the series of units a whole being in a row parallel with the edge of the railway platform, the guard units being set somewhat back from the edge of the platform so as to afiord a narrow unobstructed space between the edpje of the platform and the ad I jacent ends of the several guard units. I

I n testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM H. BANKS. 

